Odita Sunday 
I am increasingly afraid that Nigeria is not merely drifting into political crisis; it is furiously sinking toward self-destruction.
What we are witnessing is no longer an accidental failure of democracy. The systematic weakening of political opposition, the intimidation of dissenting voices, the obsession with defections, and the apparent determination to leave competing parties incapable of mounting meaningful electoral challenges are deeply troubling.
Democracy cannot survive where those in power believe that victory must come from destroying everyone capable of defeating them.
A ruling party should defeat the opposition with performance, not persecution; accomplishments, not intimidation; roads, hospitals, schools and jobs—not political coercion.
If you have governed well, let your achievements campaign for you.
If the people are satisfied, let their votes speak.
Why should political opponents be frightened, harassed, weakened or pressured into joining the ruling party simply because an election is approaching?
A genuine democracy requires strong institutions and strong opposition. Opposition is not an enemy of the state. It is one of democracy’s greatest safeguards against dictatorship, complacency and abuse of power.
The tragedy of Nigeria is that politics has gradually become a struggle for survival rather than a contest of ideas. Politicians increasingly behave as though losing an election means losing everything. Power becomes an obsession. Opposition becomes an enemy. Elections become warfare.
That road leads nowhere good.
Nigeria desperately needs a gold-standard electoral system—one so transparent, disciplined and technologically protected that presidents, governors, political parties, security agencies and even judges cannot casually manipulate the sovereign will of the people.
No democracy can flourish where citizens believe the outcome of an election depends more on intimidation, political influence or institutional capture than on the ballot.
Leadership should never be measured by how many opponents defected to your party or how thoroughly you weakened those who disagreed with you.
Great leaders leave their footprints through service.
Build the roads.
Equip the hospitals.
Educate the children.
Protect the citizens.
Create opportunities.
Strengthen institutions.
Then stand before the people and say: Judge me by what I have done.
Nigeria must remember one fundamental truth before it is too late:
When government destroys the opposition in order to guarantee victory, it may temporarily weaken its political rivals—but ultimately, it weakens democracy itself.
And when democracy dies, nobody truly wins.
Chris Okobah PhD
Award winning author
Please note, this is not a support for any particular political party, this is a call for good governance.
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